‘The visit’

I was not sure what her text did mean, but I decided to wait until the next day, or I would say the same day night as it was too late to start the conversation again. So, I put my phone aside and went to sleep. I slept quite well that night.

The next day, I woke up around eleven a.m. and went straight to the bathroom to freshen up. I didn’t want to get late for lunch as I promised my mom that I wouldn’t stay awake till late in the night, so I wanted to show myself to her before she could get suspicious. I freshened up in haste and went downstairs without even checking my phone. Mom was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She saw me coming and greeted me with a smile as her son got up early that day.

“Sid, what are your plans for today apart from being lazy?” she asked as soon as I sat on the sofa beside her.

“Nothing, I guess. Why?” I asked.

“Mrs. Verma again asked to help Aniket. I think he is facing some problems in a few sums in Mathematics,” she said. Aniket’s name diverted my thoughts toward Sneha. I almost forgot about her since last night.

“Okay, I will teach him. Tell Mrs. Verma to send him in the afternoon,” I replied. I called him in the afternoon as I didn’t want Sneha to come along. I didn’t want to face her when I ignored her completely, and moreover, I didn’t want to look in those eyes again.

“Okay, good. And yes, I won’t be here in the afternoon. I have prepared the lunch because I think I will come back only by the evening,” she said,

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Just to attend a religious function at one of my friends’ homes,” she said.

“Okay,” I answered. She got up and went to get ready, and I started watching TV. After about half an hour I turned off the TV and went to the kitchen to eat something, by that time mom had left to attend the function. After having done with my lunch, I came back to my room and picked up the phone; there was no text from Sneha’s side. So, she has forgotten me, I thought. It was quite obvious; why would she be bothered about my messages? I checked the time; it was showing a quarter to one p.m. I wasn’t sure when Aniket was going to come, so I decided to lie down on the bed and wait for him. There rang the doorbell around fifteen minutes past one p.m. I got up, picked my phone, and went downstairs to open the door. As soon as I opened it, I got astounded because it was Sneha on the door but not Aniket. She came inside before I could say anything and went straight to the couch and sat on it. I still was standing on the door, not able to understand how to react.

“Would you mind joining me here, Sid?” she asked while making herself comfortable on the sofa. I closed the door, went to the couch, and sat on the far end of it.

“Since you didn’t text me yesterday and also not today, so I decided to come and ask you the reason in person,” she started the conversation. There was not a trace of uneasiness in the way she spoke, and on the other hand, I was getting too edgy to say anything.

“Why didn’t you text after having your dinner?” she asked.

“I was feeling sleepy,” I tried to lie confidently.

“No, you were not,” she answered.

“How can you say that?” I asked.

“I just know, but the thing I don’t know is why you didn’t reply,” she said.

“Where is Aniket? Doesn’t he have some problems in Mathematics?” I tried to change the topic.

“I made him understand those problems; he is not coming,” she replied. If he is not coming, then why is she here? I thought.

“For how long you think you can ignore my question?” she asked, coming back to the same topic. She was quick.

“I told you I was feeling sleepy,” I replied.

“And I told you, you were not,” she said in return. I didn’t say anything for a while. I wasn’t looking at her, but I knew her eyes were there on me, waiting for the honest answer from my side, but I didn’t say anything.

“Don’t you like me?” she asked blatantly while getting up from the sofa. I looked up to see what she was going to do, she was moving across the hall, seeing all around, and then suddenly she stopped and gazed directly into my eyes. I was not ready for that stare; it made me uneasy in my seat, so I got up.

“Do you need anything, Sneha?” I asked. I wanted her to go. She was making me quite jumpy. She didn’t answer me and started walking toward me at a slow pace. I was standing rigid, not sure what to do. She came closer to me and stood in front of me. There was not much distance left between us. I could feel my heartbeat racing up.

“I need an answer,” she replied while still standing there looking into my eyes.

“Why the answer is that important to you?” I asked. It was getting hard for me to say anything. I never stood that near to any girl before. I could smell the vivid fragrance of her perfume, which was creating very different sensations inside my body that I never felt before.

“Why is it so hard for you to answer me?” she asked in return.

“We never talked in all these years; I don’t know you at all, then how can I give you an answer?” I tried to respond courageously.

“Fair enough, then let’s know each other,” she replied, still standing in front of me. Why is she doing this? What does she want? Why is she interested in me when she could make any guy fall for her? My mind was still wondering with all those questions when she did something which made me shiver from deep inside. She grabbed my hand and made me sit on the sofa again, and she sat beside me. She still didn’t leave my hand. While her hand was cold and soft, mine was perspiring.

“What do you want to know about me?” she asked, still holding my hand. I was not sure where to concentrate; on her question or my palm, which still was in hers.